Fire-escape



(No Model.) Y I J. PLIBTNERPQ FIRE ESCAPE.

No; 330.103. Patentd Nov; 10-; 1885.

W'inasaas.

UNITED STATES JOHN FLIETNER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

Fl RE-ESCAPE.

PATENT OFFICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 330,103, dated November10, 1885;

' Application filed July 15, 1885. Serial No. 171,681. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN FLIETNER, of the city of Brooklyn, (GreenPoint,) in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented anew and useful Improvement in FireEscapes, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to that class of fireescapes which is adapted to besecured to the person, and to travel along a cable or rope suspendedfrom a building, and which comprises a tube or sleeve through which therope is received, and a brake-shoe capable of operation by the hand ofthe person making the descent, and by which the speed of descent may becontrolled.

"The invention consists in novel details of construction andcombinations of parts, which are hereinafter referred to, andparticularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of myimproved appliance. Fig. 2 is an elevation, looking from the right handof Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a plan thereof.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

The cable or rope with which this appliance is to be used may be anordinary cable or rope of hemp, wire, or other material, and may be keptreadyfor use with the appliance upon it, so that in case of a fire thecable or rope may be quickly secured at one end in or to the building,and then thrown from the window, so as to depend therefrom to theground.

The appliance consists, essentially, of a sleeve or tube, A, abrake-shoe, B, arranged therein and adjustable relatively thereto, andhandles 0 D at opposite sides of the sleeve or tube. The brake-shoe maybe of considerable length, so as to extend for some distance lengthwiseof the sleeve or tube, and it is curved or of arc shape transversely, soas to fit upon arope or cable. It has at the outer side ahub or boss, b,which extends into a socket or bearing, a, formed in the sleeve or tubeA. The sleeveor tube Ais represented as made in two longitudinalsections, in order to provide for placing the shoe 13 therein, and itstwo parts are secured together by screws or bolts 0, inserted throughlugs or cars a, provided on its two parts.

sleeve or tube ing at the ends, as shown at o in order to avoid catchingupon and abrasion of the cable or rope, and the brakeshoe has its innersur- The bore of the l. A is represented as slightly flarface slightlyrounded or flared at the ends for a like purpose, as shown at b. Thesleeve or tube A may be of cast or forged metal, and the handle 0 may bemade integral with one of the parts or sections thereof. The handle Dconsists of a spindle or shaft journaled in the hub or bearing a, andtherein secured against lengthwise movement by a pin or key,

01, inserted transversely to the spindle and entering a groove, d,therein. This rotary handle or spindle has at the outer end awhecl orprojections, (1 whereby a better hold of the hand may be obtained, andhas at the inner end a screw-thread, d, which engages a nut formed inthe hub b on the brake-shoeB. This thread may be, and preferably is, aleft-hand thread, as the turning of the handle D may be most naturallydone toward the right, and will then press the brake-shoe B against thecable or rope.

As shown clearly in Fig. 2, the sleeve or tube A has upon its side aloop, a through which a strap or belt may be passed, and by which theappliance may be securely fastened to a belt encircling the waist of aperson desiring to descend.

When the appliance is to be used, the handle D is first turned to pressthe brake-shoe B so forcibly against the cable or rope as to prevent anysliding movement of the appliance thereon. The belt is then strappedabout the waist, and the person may then saflyprovided with lugs or earson and transverse bolts 0, inserted through said lugs or ears forsecuring the sections together, of the tube or the brake-shoe,substantially as herein desleeve having at one side the hub a ofscribed. the brake-shoe B, having an outwardly-prox jeeting hub, 12, anda handle, D, journaled JOHN FLILTNER' 5 and held against lengthwisemovementin the Witnesses:

hub a of the tube or sleeve, and having a G. HALL, screw-threadengaging" a nut in the hub b of FREDK. HAYNES.

It is herehy certified that in Letters Patent No. 330,103, grantedNovember 10, 1885, nimn the application of John Flietner, of Brooklyn,New York, for an improvement iii Fire Escapes, errors appear in theprinted speeifieation requiring correction as follows: In line 1, page2, the word of should be stricken out and in line 2, same page, aeommeshould be inserted after the reference letter 11; and that the skidLetters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the samemay conform to the record of the casein the Patent'Ofliee.

Signed countersigned, and sealed this 17th day of November, A. D. 1885.

[SEAL] H. L. MULDROW,

Acting Secretary of the Interior.

Countersigned M. V. MONTGOMERY,

Commissioner of Patenfr.

